AP English Literature
I’ll keep this short because it’s late for me.
When I was a senior in high school I took AP English Literature for my English credit. I wasn’t a huge fan of my teacher for most of the year for no good reason if I’m being honest - he just kinda bugged me. If I think about it for a second longer it probably had to do with the fact that I would often try to bullshit my way through school because I had had a decent amount of success doing that, but that wasn’t the case with this guy. None of my go-to moves worked in AP Lit. We would read a bunch of books - I say read but I mean I would carry a bunch of books in my backpack for a few weeks and then return them and we would have socratic seminars where the class would sit in a circle and speak about the reading. I think I might have even mentioned the seminars before on the blog. Forgive me if I’ve repeated myself.
Anyway, toward the end of the year we had one assignment coming up that everyone was particularly stressed about. Perhaps it was a big paper on Moby Dick or it might have even been the AP test for the college credit… whatever it was, kids were losing it. I very clearly remember my teacher standing at the front of his class insisting we were being irrational. He said “Look whatever happens with the [test or assignment] tomorrow is going to happen. The sun will set, and the next day, the sun will rise again and it’ll all be ok.”
I think back to that moment in time more often than I could have ever imagined I would. It’s been particularly useful to practice that mindset this year amidst a lot of uncertainty regarding our business. It’s a good practice to step outside of your situation and remember that the sky isn’t falling, that it doesn’t have to be as stressful as you’re making it. Take it in stride. You’ll be better off for it.
Thanks, teach.
-J.P.
Big Dreams and Small Steps
Here’s one thing I have a hard time remembering. To achieve big dreams, you must first make small strides. I say it all the time, in a million different ways, even on this blog. I say it and then I don’t take my own advice and I dream my days away, frustrated all the while with the lack of progress. I’m gonna write it on the wall somewhere so I see it every day. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I will get there eventually, but first, I have to go to the dentist.
-J.P.
My Backpack
We’ve been releasing songs quietly the last few months. I realize that probably seems like a waste to many people. What’s the point of putting out music if people don’t listen to it, if it doesn’t make you money, if this or that or whatever other reason someone might have to argue against me. Here’s my answer.
Mind your own business. These are deadlines I put in my calendar to hold myself and Understanding accountable, as we are (as I have said many times here) the only two people showing up every day to do this. If we can’t hit our own marks on our own volition, why would anyone ever believe in us or give us the opportunity to do more. At the end of the day, I do this for me. I wrote songs before people were listening, I will write songs long after people are listening. I appreciate when people listen to and enjoy my music, and it warms my heart to find out that my music could make someone else’s life better, but I am the only one I have to answer to every night, and so I keep to my schedule and more importantly I keep my word to myself and we keep it pushing.
There’s also the idea that we could possibly release some of this music under another name at a later date when we have made a little more progress so I don’t want to draw too much attention to something that isn’t performing optimally right now. But that’s a whole other thing and we’re not gonna talk about it right now. Forget I said that.
Now, all that being said, My Backpack is one of my favorite songs that we’ll be releasing this year. It’s simple, honest, and I like the groove. It’s what it is, and not worried with what might be. I love when art is of the moment. That’s my goal, always, just to capture one feeling, one moment in time so well that when you hear the first note you’re instantly transported. It’s also one of my favorite verses by Understanding to date. I’m listening to it right now. I hope you like it as much as I do.
-J.P.
Note to Self - 10/23
Bring your camera around more!! You need it! It’s the only way to get better!
-J.P.
Hold Your Cards Close
The further I get into the year, the more apparent my tendency to overshare becomes. I generally have spoken very openly here in regards to the state of business and the obstacles I come across. I say it when I’m excited and I say it when I’m feeling hopeless. Ten months in, I’m not sure how important that actually is. Maybe in a more visual medium, on social media… maybe it’d feel more relatable if it was spoken as opposed to written.
These days you have to do one of two things: entertain or educate. I think some days I fall short of that criteria on this blog. I’ll try better to do that, and I think I’ll keep a tighter lid on the rest of my feelings for a while. We need to make some big moves over here and we need to make them quick. What those moves will look like, well, I’m not gonna tell you everything.
-J.P.
An Apple a Day
You know the saying. It’s common knowledge that one single apple ingested daily will keep you in good health and therefore, all doctors will keep their distance. Unassailable logic. It’s totally foolproof, and likely the most affordable healthcare plan in the United States. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this advice was meant literally and should be taken that way.
But let’s an assume for a second that it’s a metaphor. Let’s assume it means that implementing routine will make for a better life. I think of it that way. I employ that philosophy in many aspects of my life. I wake up at the same time, walk and feed the dog at the same time, work at the same time, I update this blog daily… my life is choc full of routine. But I still think my life could be better.
Maybe the routines have to be adjusted. Maybe I need to replace some habits with new habits that will be more useful to me. I could probably read more and play less video games. I mean, I could also play more video games and start streaming and try to make money playing video games online. It’s hard to know which routines are helping and which are hurting when it seems like there are infinite possibile ways of making a living these days.
Or maybe the routine is only useful in some aspects. Perhaps I should be more free flowing. When you consider that my work is largely creative, maybe it would do me well to leave spaces of time open for whatever inspiration comes. Perhaps that openness will lead to more pure creation, and maybe the thing is waiting for me there. That could be true too, I think.
I don’t know right now. That seems to be where I land most days. I just don’t know. I’ve been talking about me a lot lately. That’s one habit I’d like to change. I don’t know.
I do like apples, though.
-J.P.
